It’s cherry blossom time in the D.C. area, and the famous Cherry Blossom Festival by the Tidal Basin is getting into full swing. Each year, this area bursts forth with cotton-candy pink blossoms on the trees that circle the monuments along the water, and people come from all corners of the globe to witness this rite of spring.

When I read the article on the attitude of Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines, in the New York Times business section this weekend entitled Don't Come Crying To This Airline I was blown away.  How brazen.  The word the article used was outrageous.

This morning, I did a radio interview on a topic that continues to get a ton of press coverage: declining airfares. It is true that we've seen significant year-over-year decreases in the cost of airfare. Our spring data report showed a 10 percent decline, and we're seeing similar story looking ahead to Memorial Day.

In the interview, I was asked about the fare sales that have been launched over the past couple of weeks. Since the beginning of the year, we've seen a bump in the number of sales carriers are launching. On Friday, American Airlines launched a sale promoting roundtrip fares as low as $98.

Last year, I celebrated our planet at Dolores Park in San Francisco, listening to a local band play using power from a bio-bus and watching the Golden Gate Bridge go dark one tier at a time. Tomorrow I’ll celebrate Earth Hour at my place with some of my closest friends.

We will be flipping our light switches off to show our support for Planet Earth. If you love our planet, don’t forget to do the same! No matter where you live, just cast your vote against Global Warming by simply switching off your lights for one hour at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 28.

And if you happen to be traveling to one of the many cities participating in Earth Hour, check out these famous attractions in the dark:

For years, Las Vegas has maintained its ranking as THE top destination in the world. While it’s still at the top of the pack, the economic downturn is hurting the mega-destination. Last week, Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport reported a 15.2 percent year-over-year decline for travel to-and-from the airport in February. Of course, capacity cuts are a contributor to the decline, with 11 percent fewer seats available.

But, anecdotally speaking, many travelers are holding off on a trip to Sin City simply because they end up spending too much money when they get there. Siting this particular reason, several people in my own circle of friends tell me they are cancelling their annual guys getaway.

The last time I went on a cruise, I was sporting alternating pink- and purple-colored braces on my teeth and spent most of my time in the teen club sipping virgin strawberry daiquiris. So when Carnival Cruise Lines invited a group of travel agents to try out their brand-new ship, the Carnival Splendor, I couldn't help but say, "Anchors aweigh!"

The Carnival Splendor is the newest, largest, and most innovative ship to date for the cruise line and boasts state-of-the-art onboard amenities like a top-deck mini golf course, a luxurious spa with a Thalassotherapy pool, a big-screen, open-air theater, a Twister waterslide, and the Serenity adults-only lounging area. I was treated to a balcony cabin for my two-night cruise out of San Francisco, and most of the wining, dining, and amenities were included so we could really enjoy the ship.

Get your passports here! Saturday, March 28 is Passport Day in the USA. In anticipation of the change to passport regulations scheduled to take effect on June 1, all Department of State Passport Agencies, and many Passport Acceptance Facilities around the country, will host passport application acceptance events.

According to the Department of State web site "For this day only, appointments and expedite fees are not required for those applying at a Passport Agency. Applicants can expect to receive their passport in approximately four weeks for routine service and about two to three weeks for expedited service."

Currently, everyone traveling in and out of the United States by air needs a passport.

I get absolutely giddy with joy around spring time.  As an avid whale watcher, the spring season means that humpback and gray whales make their annual 12,000-mile journey from cold Alaska waters to breed in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean further south.

Starting now through early April, state parks, recreation departments, and beaches throughout the West Coast have set up a string of whale-watching sites for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of a humpback or gray whale diving, jumping, or gliding over the top of the water.  Volunteers are usually on hand to guide visitors, too.  In Oregon, the parks and recreation department has volunteers stationed at 28 different locations to help curious seekers find good whale-watching spots.

I just opted out of trips to attend the Coachella and Pitchfork music festivals (not that I don’t love me some Palm Springs, Chicago, and Paul McCartney, but I’m saving my travel budget for some other things this year). So I was pretty excited to read today that Woodstock might return for a 40th-anniversary edition, right here in New York City.

We’ll have to wait to see if the idea will materialize, but Woodstock’s founder is reportedly seeking sponsors for a free, environmentally friendly NYC concert, possibly even in Central Park. If it happens, I’ll be among the first to dole out my $2 to travel uptown.

Have your say! The former Madison Hotel in New York City's Flatiron District will re-open in June 2009 as part of the Desires Hotel group and the new property needs a name. Here are the contenders:

VIVO nyc

the MIX

stile nyc

nyche

the MAVE

My vote went to stile nyc. Would have preferred if it was spelled correctly but oh well. When you cast your vote, you also enter a chance to win a three-night stay for two at any of the Desires Hotels in Miami, San Juan, New York City, Milwaukee, or St. Louis. Airfare also included in the prize. Cast your vote before March 31.

Welcome to the first TWS Deal of the Day entry! This is a brand-new feature highlighting the best travel deals available.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Ben the Grate.

TWS DEAL OF THE DAY

Best of Barbados: Get up to $600 air credit, free nights, free breakfast daily and more  when you book your 5 or 7-night stay Barbados vacation by April 10, 2009 for travel May 1 to July 15 or September 1 to December 20.

Participating hotels and resorts include:

Almond Beach Club - All Inclusive

Almond Beach Village - All Inclusive

Almond Casuarina - All Inclusive

Barbados Beach Club - All Inclusive

Beach View Hotel

Bougainvillea Beach Resort

Colony Club Hotel

Crystal Cove Hotel - All Inclusive

Please join us in welcoming writer and humanitarian Susan Skog to The Window Seat. She is the author of six books, including her latest The Give-Back Solution: Create a Better World with Your Time, Talents and Travel, which features Travelocity’s Travel for Good program. Her guest blog tells of her volunteer vacation through Thailand with her son.

My teenaged son, Evan, and I were hanging out the window of the Death Railway Train as it plunged through the emerald Thai countryside, dropping down along the River Kwai. We grinned at each other, our faces pulled tight by the wind, as tamarind trees with outrageous purplish plumes, enchanting temples, and farmers tending sugarcane fields rushed past our rolling car.

With many of us scaling back on travel this year, what can we do with all of our unused frequent flier miles?

Well, you could consider donating your frequent flier miles to a charity of your choice.

Many airlines work with national and local charities to set up programs that allow travelers to donate their frequent flier miles to worthy causes from a list of organizations.  Your unused frequent flier miles can make a significant impact.

Last month in Chicago, United Airlines and The American Red Cross teamed up for the Teddy Bear Project that delivered a "May I Hug You Bear?" to all of the pediatric cancer patients at the Children's Memorial Hospital.  Most of the contributions that made the Teddy Bear Project possible came from United customers.

How can you donate?

Look, we all know about the state of the economy right now, right? I mean, unless you've been living in a cardboard box under a bridge for two years---a cardboard box under a bridge that doesn't get CNN, mind you---you're probably fairly aware that we're waist-deep in a recession.

You know what, though? It's still an amazingly good time to travel. Right now, you can find all sorts of deals you'd never have been able to find this time last year---or even this time six months ago. There are hotels from $22 a night in Las Vegas, for crying out loud!

And one hotel is San Francisco is taking it even further. Would you believe me if I told you that you could stay in the City by the Bay---in rather fancy surroundings, even---for a buck a night? Because it's true.

Please don't use the "S" word in my presence. You know the one. Starts with "S" and ends with "taycation." It positively chills me to think about would-be travelers staying home. Like, in their houses. Watching TV and eating chips or something. When they don't have to! People, I don't know if you've heard, but a close friend of yours (me!) coined 2009 the "year of the travel deal." You see, I have insider information, so I'm allowed to make such statements.

photo courtesy of IgoUgo member RobAA

I have a friend who says that when he gets married, he wants a pirate-themed wedding, where instead of marching down the aisle, the bride and groom walk a plank (note: he’s yet to find a bride taker). If he can find it anywhere, he can find it in Vegas, where wacky weddings are a whimsical nod to what’s otherwise a rather stuffy institution.

In 2007, Clark County received over 108,000 marriage applications. That number was expected to rise in 2008, and although weddings are a year-round business in Las Vegas, the month of March kicks off the “I do” high season in which Elvis and a whole host of other characters are ready and willing to officiate your Nevada nuptials.

Five tips travel industry insiders use to save big on hotel rooms

1. Book your hotel as part of a package. Many hotels are reluctant to lower their stand-alone hotel rates, but will do so if the hotel is bundled with a flight. Why? During the last downturn in travel (after 9/11), hotels slashed room rates to spark demand. The problem, however, was that it was difficult to then raise rates when things normalized because travelers had come to expect such discounted rates. Now, hotels are struggling again but don’t want to lower stand-alone rates, but will do so in a package where the customer can’t see what the hotel rates is vs. what the flight costs – they just see one total price.

Example: Travelocity conducted a study and found the average savings on booking a package vs. booking the same elements of the same trip separately was $315.

Visiting the Big Green Apple this St. Patrick's Day? You'll need more than a four-leafed clover and an Irish grandmother to find the pot o' fun at the end of the rainbow. Use the itinerary below to make the most of your day.

10am Sleep in, Danny Boy. It's going to be a long day.

11am Okay, lazy bones, up you go. And don't forget to wear green and some comfortable walking shoes.

12pm Time to linger over a long Irish breakfast. Dine at Tir Na Nog, Fitzers, or the Wheeltapper Pub. Not only will you get your fill of black and white pudding, Irish bacon, and Irish oatmeal, you'll stay near the parade. This is no time to be wandering off.

Please join us in welcoming renowned travel author David Yeadon to The Window Seat. He is the author of several travel books, including his latest At the Edge of Ireland. His guest blog reveals his top travel tips for Ireland's Beara Peninsula.

If you’ve ever been charmed by twinkle-eyed Irish raconteurs, dreamed of hikes across wild mountains and moors, or imagined yourself at a Guinness-primed ceili in an authentic Irish village pub, then you would love the Beara Peninsula, a remote mountainous finger of land in the southwest corner of Ireland that juts out thirty miles into the Atlantic.

Ah, Colombia: perfectly preserved colonial cities, a salsa beat for every street, a vibrant mountain capital, vine-covered jungles, and pounds and pounds of that white...sand.

I just got back from the South American country, and any remnant worries of a drug-laden danger zone were shattered the moment I landed in Cartagena’s balmy Caribbean embrace. As I traveled around for 11 days, reminders of the troubles that make American news reports were few and far between, and proof that Colombia deserves its nascent reputation as a traveler’s paradise was everywhere. And I felt safe 100% of the time.

Like many New Yorkers, I don't own a car. This complicates weekend trips, of course, as I am forced to rent one.

I also rarely carry cash. I typically have about $2 on me. Why carry cash when I can use my debit card for practically everything? Unfortunately though you can't use your debit card at the toll booth. Until now! Sort of. From Jaunted, here's the headline that caught my eye: Fear No More Change-less Rental Car Drivers.

The Highway Toll Administration  recently introduced the TravelPass mail-order program that provides electronic tolling devices, or tags, to travelers who book car rentals through Travelocity.

Here's how it works:

The U.S. Department of State has issued a warning for American tourists planning to head south of the border, particularly college kids who are anxious to kick back for spring break.  Unfortunately, due to the escalating violence in Mexico, U.S. tourists traveling there need to be aware and take extra precautions.

The on-going conflict between the Mexican drug cartels and the Mexican government has devolved rapidly into drug-related violence and deaths on the streets and along the U.S. - Mexico border.

So you missed Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Not a problem! The good times, as they say, just keep on rolling---right into Orlando, in fact, as Universal Studios celebrates everybody’s favorite partyfest every Saturday night through this month and halfway into next.

First thing to remember: this ain’t your college co-ed’s Mardi Gras. Ditch those visions of bacchanalian boozing and Girls Gone Wild-type bead-collecting; the action at Universal’s celebration is of the clean and family-friendly kind, which means children are more than welcome to big it up in the Big Easy (or the recreation thereof).

Here on The Window Seat, you've read a lot about the woes of the airline industry over the past year. Baggage fees were perhaps the hottest topic of 2008, generating grumbles heard 'round the world and provoking sour comments from our readers. Well, as Ben Mutzabaugh writes in his Today in the Sky blog, "grumble if you like, but checked-bag fees may mean less lost luggage."

If you can remember back a couple of years ago, airlines were carrying record numbers of passengers and lost baggage rates were the worst they've ever been. However, 2008 marked a massive improvement with domestic carriers losing 1.3 million fewer bags than in the previous year.

You’re in the middle of the sky and you’ve just drank your soda and well, you gotta go. Today, we take it for granted that we can just saunter on down to the back of the plane and take care of business. Well, now someone may make big business out of taking care of business. Ryanair, to be exact, is mulling over whether or not to add a bathroom fee in-flight in the form of a coin slot on each bathroom door.

As passengers, we’ve had a lot of things taken away from us over the years. We now have to pay to check our bags, pay to have pillows and blankets, pay for snacks, and so on. But to have to pay to pee?! Really Ryanair? What next?